Airborne microbial measurement apparatus and measurement method thereof

Abstract

An airborne microbial measurement apparatus and a measurement method thereof are provided. An airborne microbial measurement apparatus according to an embodiment includes a discharge apparatus including a discharge electrode and a voltage supply unit applying a high voltage to the discharge electrode. A substrate is provided to a side of the discharge apparatus to collect an airborne microbe from air by a high voltage applied to the discharge electrode. A reagent injection apparatus supplies a dyeing reagent to the microbe collected on the substrate or a DNA of the microbe. A light emission measurement apparatus senses a quantity of light generated from the DNA to which the dyeing reagent is supplied. The discharge apparatus includes a controller controlling the voltage supply unit so that the voltage is applied to collect the airborne microbe or destroy an external wall of the collected airborne microbe.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. An airborne microbial measurement apparatus comprising:
 a discharge apparatus including a discharge electrode, a voltage supply unit applying a high voltage to the discharge electrode, and a controller controlling the voltage supply unit; 
 a substrate provided to a side of the discharge apparatus to collect an airborne microbe from air by the high voltage applied to the discharge electrode, the airborne microbe including viruses, bacteria, and molds; 
 a reagent injection apparatus supplying a dyeing reagent to the microbe collected on the substrate or a DNA of the microbe; and 
 a light emission measurement apparatus sensing a quantity of light generated from the microbe or the DNA to which the dyeing reagent is supplied, 
 wherein: 
 the voltage supply unit is configured to apply a variable voltage to the discharge electrode, 
 the controller controls the voltage supply unit such that voltage  1  is applied to collect the airborne microbe from air on the substrate, and when the microbe is collected on the substrate, the controller controls the voltage supply unit such that voltage  2 , which is higher than the voltage  1 , is applied to destroy the external wall of the collected microbe and extract the DNA, 
 the controller controls the voltage supply unit such that the level of the voltage  2  is sequentially increased according to a type of the microbe, and 
 the controller sequentially calculates concentration of the viruses, bacteria, and molds in order when the extracted DNA of the viruses, bacteria, and molds passes through the reagent injection apparatus and the light emission measurement apparatus. 
 
     
     
       2. The airborne microbial measurement apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the airborne microbe includes viruses, bacteria, and molds, and the controller controls the voltage supply unit so that the level of the voltage  2  is increased to sequentially destroy protein shells of the viruses, cell walls of the bacteria, and cell walls of the molds. 
     
     
       3. The airborne microbial measurement apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the substrate includes a plastic material having polyethylene and polypropylene mixed therein. 
     
     
       4. The airborne microbial measurement apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the light emission measurement apparatus includes a blue LED and a CCD camera. 
     
     
       5. An airborne microbial measurement method comprising;
 providing the apparatus of  claim 1 ; 
 collecting an airborne microbe on the substrate by applying the voltage to a discharge apparatus; 
 destroying an external wall of the microbe collected on the substrate and extracting a DNA by applying a voltage to the discharge apparatus; 
 injecting a dyeing reagent to the extracted DNA to perform light emission or fluorescence; 
 and sensing a quantity of emitted or fluorescent light by using a light emission measurement apparatus 
 wherein the collecting of the airborne microbe on the substrate includes applying voltage  1  to the discharge apparatus, and the destroying of the external wall of the microbe collected on the substrate and the extracting of the DNA include applying voltage  2  to the discharge apparatus, and 
 wherein the destroying of the external wall of the microbe collected on the substrate and the extracting of the DNA include sequentially increasing the voltage  2  to sequentially destroy external walls of a plurality of microbes from the microbe having a weak external wall to the microbe having a strong externa wall.